About 17 years ago I was in college, my first year to be exact. I was taking classes at Austin Community College to get some easy credit before I headed over to the University of Texas.

Every day I would trudge in at 7 AM with my Dad who worked near the college. He would drop me off at Captain Quakenbush’s on the Drag in front of UT. I’d have a cup of coffee and head over to class on the Dillo buses. I had a two hour break between a couple of my classes so I used to head back to the same coffee shop, grab another cup and walk another block and play video games at Le Fun. At the end of all my classes I’d bus it over to my job as a picture framer at Michael’s.

One Friday afternoon when I didn’t have to work, I was taking the Dillo back to campus and there was this guy waiting too. He started chatting me up – which I didn’t mind because he was VERY attractive. We talked about our favorite authors, and electrical engineering, the TV station he worked at, and few other things. He got off the bus before I did and I never got up the courage to give him my number or get off the bus with him.

I felt like a chicken for months before I forgot the whole thing because I started dating a sweet guy.

Fast forward two years…

Sweet Guy and I have broken up. I’m working somewhere else and spending a lot of time hanging out at a goth industrial club downtown regularly with a friend of mine. I start catching glimpses of this really, really hot guy at the club and he looks familiar. I’m still chicken so I don’t go talk to him – plus it doesn’t help that I usually see this hot guy with another girl.

I start asking around about this guy and get lots of different opinions. He’s awesome, he’s an jerk – that sort of thing. Rumors abound at this club so I don’t listen to any of the opinions really.

Fast forward almost another year….

Finally one night, Mr. Hot Guy is talking to one of my friends, someone I’ve known since high school. I walk up to talk to my friend and get introduced. We all sit talking for awhile (and I’m nervous as hell). Some how, one of us gets side tracked and I end up on the dance floor dancing to my favorite song at the time (which they played every Tuesday night at the same time) with the guy I’m semi-dating.

Mr. Hot Guy, super gutsty I thought, walks up to me on the dance floor while I’m dancing and asks me out and for my phone number.

EEEK!!!!! I say “yes,” of course. He has a cell phone and I am duly impressed – he put my number in. A few days later I get a call from Mr. Hot Guy. I tell him point blank, I’ve had some weird dates and I’d like to something relatively normal and average for our first date. We go out a few nights later for Dinner and Movie.

Why am I typing all this you ask? you’ll see.

So at dinner, we’re talking about our interests and everything he’s telling I’ve heard before. I have met this guy before! He’s the guy from the bus!!!

AND it turns out the girl he’s always with at the club is his ex-girl friend and just recently ex-room mate.

We keep going out and a week or so later we are at the club again. He and his buddies have been drinking Rumplemintz while Mr. Hot Guy is kneeling down next to me the ground. After a bit, I notice Mr. Hot Guy is oddly quiet. He’s got his head down on the arm rest and it’s wavering a little bit. Friends rally around, pick him up and walk him to the men’s room, and finally to the back room of the bar which is closed for the evening. I ask the friends to take me to him – Mr. Hot Guy is gagging and passed out on the couch.

I volunteer to drive him home! (what am I nuts?) He throws up out the window of my car, narrowly missing his best friend in the back seat.

I figured I must really like this guy a lot if I can take him home in this state.

Fast Forward a few days….

Mr. Hot Guy has strep throat and apparently this is what caused his abnormal reaction to alcohol. I gave it to him on our first date. I had strep a month before and didn’t think I was still contagious. I’m forgiven – I guess this guy must really like me.

Fast forward a few months….

I’m basically never going home and spending all my time between work and school with Mr. Hot Guy and crashing with him.

Fast forward a few more months…..

Mr. Hot Guy really does have a name, it’s Lee. Lee and I are living together and sharing a place with his best friend.

Fast Forward eight years….

Lots of flack from the parental units over the years, but we’re both out of work and need a change. Our current room mate needs a change too. The internet jobs have tanked and no one can get a job. We pack up our entire house and move to Los Angeles.

Fast Forward three years….

It’s down to two people in a cute apartment in the middle of Hollywood. We only have each other – no one to speak for either of us if something goes awry. Taxes are kicking our asses.

We break down and do the inevitable, even though we wanted a different ceremony, even though we’ve been committed for twelve years and didn’t want to do it unless we went mad and decided to have kids. We get married.

Fast forward to today….

It’s been thirteen years. We are happy, we make each other crazy, but we love each other more than anything.

Happy anniversary, Love.